North Korea's leader said he wants to boost the "warm climate of reconciliation and dialogue" with South Korea after his high-level delegation returned from a visit to the South.

North Korea's foes are pushing for "maximum pressure". But state media reported Tuesday, Kim Jong Un wants to foster "warm climate of reconciliation" after the Winter Olympics.

Diplomacy between Pyongyang and Seoul during the Games hasn't gone unnoticed by the Supreme Leader. His younger sister Kim Yo Jong returned from her Olympic visit, where she invited the South's president to the North for a summit, which would be the first in a decade. State media said Kim then issued instructions on how to keep up contact with the South.

The day before, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence seemed to endorse more engagement with the North. And on Tuesday, a spokesperson for South Korea's Moon Jae-in said Washington is open to talks. But American officials have also said sanctions should be ramped up, with an aim to push North Korea to stop its weapons programme. Those calls were echoed by U.S. ally Japan. Amid all this chatter, things have become far quieter at the border since the opening ceremony.

A senior military official told Reuters the North has turned down the volume on its set of massive loudspeakers that blast propaganda 24/7.

It's not clear if the South has followed suit. Both sides have sent out a sonic assault of rhetoric, news and pop music at the DMZ since 2016.